Kingdom of Cappadocia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kingdom of Cappadocia
331 BC–17 AD
Kingdom of Cappadocia at its peak during the reign of Ariarathes V (163-130 BC)
Status	Subject of the Kingdom of Pontus and Seleucid Empire Client kingdom of the Roman Republic and Roman Empire (95 BCE–17 AD)
Capital	Mazaca (modern-day Kayseri, Turkey)
Common languages	Greek (official) Old Persian (native and regional) Aramaic (initially used on coinage)
Religion	Syncretic, incorporating Greek polytheism with Anatolian and Persian gods, as well as Zoroastrianism
Government	Monarchy
Basileus
• 331 – 322 BC (First Ariarathid king)	Ariarathes I
• 96 – c. 63 BC (First Ariobarzanid king)	Ariobarzanes
• 36 BC – 17 AD (last king)	Archelaus
History
• Founded by Ariarathes I	331 BC
• Ariarathes IX deposed, Ariobarzanes I installed with military support from Sulla	95 BC
• Ariarathes X deposed, Archelaus installed by Marc Antony	36 BC
• Annexed by the Roman Empire under Emperor Tiberius.	17 AD
Preceded by Succeeded by Macedonian Empire Cappadocia (Roman province)

Cappadocia (pronounced Cap-a-DOE-shuh) was an ancient kingdom located in a region called Asia Minor, which is now part of modern-day Turkey. It was founded by a man named Ariarathes I in 331 BC. Before becoming a kingdom, Cappadocia was a province (called a satrapy) of the powerful Persian Empire.

For many years, Cappadocia was ruled by three main families:

• The House of Ariarathes (from 331 BC to 96 BC)
• The House of Ariobarzanes (from 96 BC to 36 BC)
• The family of Archelaus (from 36 BC to 17 AD)

In 17 AD, after the last king Archelaus died, the Roman Empire took control of Cappadocia. It then became a Roman province.

The Kingdom's Beginnings

For a long time, the Persian Empire had a strong influence in Asia Minor. Many Persian people lived there, especially in areas like Pontus and Cappadocia. Ariarathes was the governor (or satrap) of Cappadocia for 19 years and was very loyal to the Persian kings. He was even related to the Persian royal family.

When Alexander the Great invaded the Persian Empire, he also came to Cappadocia. The people of Cappadocia did not want to be ruled by Alexander. They fought against him in battles like the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC.

Unlike some other parts of Asia Minor, the Persian nobles in Cappadocia and Pontus decided to become independent. They didn't want to be under Macedonian rule. Ariarathes I became the first king of this new Kingdom of Cappadocia. His family ruled for many years.

After a period where the Seleucid Empire had some control, Cappadocia became fully independent under King Ariarathes III around 255 BC.

Changes and Roman Influence

Later, a powerful ruler from the Kingdom of Pontus named Mithridates VI tried to take over Cappadocia. However, the Roman Republic didn't like this. The Romans helped the Cappadocians choose a new king, Ariobarzanes I, who was also a Persian noble.

As Rome became more powerful, it started to get more involved in Cappadocia's affairs. In 36 BC, a Roman general named Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony) chose Archelaus, a local noble, to be the new king. Archelaus ruled for a long time. When he was old, the Roman Emperor Tiberius called him to Rome, where he died. After his death, Cappadocia officially became a Roman province.

Because Cappadocia was located between many powerful empires, its kings often made alliances through marriage. They married into families like the Mithridatic dynasty and the Seleucid dynasty to keep their kingdom safe.

The ancient writer Strabo, who lived around the time of Emperor Augustus, wrote that Cappadocia still felt very much like a part of Persia, even hundreds of years after the Persian Empire fell.

Religion in Cappadocia

After Alexander the Great's conquests, the Persian people living in Cappadocia were separated from their fellow Persians in Iran. Strabo, who saw them in Cappadocia, wrote that these "fire kindlers" had many "holy places of the Persian Gods" and fire temples.

The kingdom had many temples and shrines dedicated to various Iranian gods, as well as gods that were a mix of Iranian and local beliefs. Some important gods mentioned by Strabo include Anahita at Castabala and Ahura Mazda at Arebsum.

They practiced a religion similar to Zoroastrianism, which involved worshipping fire in special enclosed places called Pyraitheia. Strabo described these places, saying, "... in their midst there is an altar, on which there is a large quantity of ashes and where the magi keep the fire ever burning."

How the Kingdom Was Run

The Kingdom of Cappadocia was first divided into ten regions, which were later increased to eleven. These regions were called strategiai in Greek. Each strategiai was led by a strategos, who was an important noble.

The eleven regions were:

• Melitene
• Cataonia
• Cilicia
• Tyanitis
• Garsauritis
• Laouiansene
• Sargarausene
• Saraouene
• Chamanene
• Morimene
• Cilicia Tracheia (added later)

The kings kept control of the land through royal estates and strong forts. These were protected by the nobles. There were two main types of estates:

• Estates centered around a noble's home, where the noble had political power.
• Temple estates, where priests had both religious and political power. Because of their dual role, these priests were very powerful, second only to the king.

Greek Influence on Cappadocia

The Cappadocian kings wanted to be like their powerful neighbors, the Seleucids and Attalids, who were Greek-influenced. So, they started to adopt Greek customs and ideas. This process is called Hellenization.

• Both the Ariarathid and Ariobarzanid royal families made sure their children received a Greek education.
• They started using Greek titles, like basileus (meaning "king"), instead of the native Persian title shah.
• The first few Cappadocian kings used coins with Aramaic writing, which was a Persian style. But from King Ariarathes III onwards, they switched to Greek-style coins with Greek writing.
• Like the Seleucids, the Cappadocian kings named new cities after themselves, such as Ariaramneia and Archelais.
• Greek cities also honored the Cappadocian royal families.

Hellenization started slowly in the 3rd century BC and became much faster in the 2nd century BC. However, even with all this Greek influence, all the rulers of Cappadocia kept their Iranian names until the very end of the kingdom.

The Capital City: Mazaca

According to Strabo, the capital city of Cappadocia was called Mazaca. It was a large and well-developed city with many people living there. Around Mazaca, there were many villages and farms. All these areas were well-protected by forts, which were controlled by the royal family and the nobles.

Kings of Cappadocia

• Ariarathes I 331–322 BC
• Ariarathes II 301–280 BC
• Ariaramnes 280–230 BC
• Ariarathes III 255–220 BC
• Ariarathes IV 220–163 BC
• Ariarathes V 163–130 BC
• Ariarathes VI 130–116 BC
• Ariarathes VII 116–101 BC
• Ariarathes VIII 101–96 BC
• Ariarathes IX 100–85 BC
• Ariobarzanes I 96–c.63 BC
• Ariobarzanes II c.63–51 BC
• Ariobarzanes III 51–42 BC
• Ariarathes X 42–36 BC
• Archelaus 36 BCE–17 AD

See also

• Cappadocian calendar

Sources